Masochistical Beginnings
by Thomas Malfoy
Summary: Thomas and his father begin the day with a Wizard Duel. It goes great until 'He' arrives...rnThomas hopes to have a normal school year without hassles from the dark side. He gets help from friends and a girl in particular.
1. Default Chapter

**The Day Of Death**

A castle. Stands by the sea. The sea crashes below. The outside walls surrounding this castle are huge and full of ivy. The grey bricks only just peek out of the ivy that is strangling it. The castle looks completely empty, until you hear the steady clanging of swords inside.   
"Hah! Nice dodge Thomas!" a man's voice yells.   
"Thank you Father!" a small boy yells back.   
Through the window to the left of another ivy-covered wall, we see a man duelling with what it looks like, his son. He moves back and he comes into view, taking a stab at his father.   
"Ooh! That was close!" he said. "Come on Thomas! Don't hold back!" he said getting into a stance. Sweat was forming on his forehead, making his platinum blonde hair stick to his face. "But..." the boy says, stepping back a bit, still holding the sword. The man frowns. "Damn it Thomas!" he says, getting rather frustrated. "You are eleven! You need to know how to duel for when you finish school, become a wizard and will have to protect yourself in this huge arse world from the bloody Order!" he stressed. The boy sighed. "Aiight Father..." he said, getting into a stance. He held his sword tightly the fear showing it's self so clearly by how the blade was shaking. His hair was also sticking to his forehead. The man looked at him and smirked.   
"Ready?" he asked. Thomas nodded and felt the courage building up inside of him. Suddenly his father sprang into action. He ran up to his son and bought the sword down hard. Thomas held his sword up on a diagonal angle and a huge clang was heard as his father's sword hit his.   
"Blimey! Nice block son! But you forgot... Wizard duels aren't all swords..." he said looking down at him, with his pale grey eyes. He then pulled out his wand. "Flipendo!" he yelled. Thomas seemed to literally fly as he was hit with the spell. He hit the cushioned wall and landed on the ground. His father straightened and sheathed his sword.   
"You all right?" he asked walking up to him. Thomas groaned a bit. "Everything seems to be intact..." he said, lying on his back. "You know, you could have warned me..." he said looking up at his father. He was standing there grinning. "Oh but I did... you decided not to listen..." he said holding a hand out to help him up. "That was fun." Thomas said standing up, looking up at his father.   
"Yeah, we'll practise more in the holidays. Your mother got a letter this morning." his father said, undoing the sword holder and placing it on the shelf. Thomas walked over to his sword and picked it up.   
"So... what was it about?" he asked, putting his sword on the shelf, beside his father's. He took a towel off the rack and wiped his face. His father put a hand on his shoulder. "Thomas... you're going to Hogwarts, in September. Your cousin Draco will be there." He said taking the other towel and wiping his face too. Thomas looked up at him and frowned. "But... mother said I can't hang around with Draco, because of Uncle Lucius and how bad of a reputation he has." he said reciting his mother's words. His father nodded and leaded him out of the Duelling Room. "Yes, We know, but you see, we still want you to go to Hogwarts. It doesn't matter anymore if you hang around with Draco. You could change him for the best. You need more friends anyway..." They both walked down the hall together. Thomas just barely kept up. "So, what's this school like anyway?" he asked. His father looked down at him with a stern look on his face. "How about you talk this over with your mother...I'm going to take a shower." He said dodging the question completely. Thomas stopped in the middle of the hallway, watching his father walk off, his pale, grey eyes, staring unblinkingly after he left.

"Aiight father..." he whispered. Thomas looked up at the picture of his family reunion that was beside him. The whole picture was eerie. The Malfoy, Black and Taylor family were all in a bunch. Malfoy on the left, Black in the middle and Taylor on the right. His mother's family, They Taylors, were all Veela. Their pale eyes were staring out at him. He didn't really like looking at the picture. The Malfoys were all standing there, fit to burst, full of pride and the Blacks were all standing in the middle, keeping the Malfoys and Taylors from fighting. Thomas directed his eyes away from the picture and continued walking down the hallway, his footsteps echoing, bouncing off the walls. He walked into the dining room, looking for his mother.

"Mother?" he called. There was no answer. A puzzled look came across his face. "Mother?" called Thomas again, walking to the main staircase leading upstairs. "Where in the Muggle hell is she?" he asked himself.   
"I know where she is..." a small voice said. I small hand was tugging at Thomas' tee shirt. He looked down. It was the house elf, Chrysler. He smiled. "Gidday Chrysler. So where is she?" he asked. Chrysler tugged at her tiny blue dress. "I do believe she is outside, painting." She replied. Thomas nodded. "Thanks Chrysler." He said walking towards the kitchen. "Only here to help..." she said walking away.

Thomas walked through the kitchen, grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl. He bit into it and opened the door. The sun was beginning to set and it was quite warm. The sea was crashing on the beach below and the salty smell wafted around him. His mother, Lucretia, was standing beside an easel, staring at the sea. Thomas bit into the apple again. He looked at his mother. Her blue dress was moving in the breeze and her hair was too. The ribbon on her hat moved with it. He stopped staring and walked over to her and stood beside her, looking at the sea. The sunset had started, making the sea an orange colour.

"Beautiful, isn't it Thomas...this will be the last time in a while we can do this." She looked down at him and crouched down, putting an arm around him. "Mum..." Thomas said putting his apple core into the rubbish bin beside the easel. She looked into his eyes. "Yes?" she asked. "Mum... I hope you know when I go to Hogwarts, I will change." He said looking at her. She looked back at the sea and seemed to sigh a bit. "I know. Your father did. He was such a nice boy... until his seventh year, when he became a Death Eater." She looked back at him. "I know this will happen to you too Thomas." She whispered. The sun began to disappear and the stars began to come out. "You won't hate me... will you mum?" he asked. She smiled. "No hunny. I won't hate you for it. It's destiny..." she said, reassuring him. Thomas sighed. "What's Hogwarts like mum...will I like it?" he asked, looking at the painting. The sun was setting above the sea. A couple were standing by the cliff looking out to the horizon. "Thomas, I guarantee you will like it. You will make lots of friends, learn spells and possibly meet a special girl..." she said dreamily. Thomas looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Yuck! I don't like girls mum!" he said, folding his arms. "They are different! And! They have different body parts!"

Lucretia was surprised at the fact that Thomas already knew a lot about the opposite sex. She silently hoped that he would treat females with some courtesy, unlike his father did when he was fifteen. As she was thinking, William, Thomas's father came up behind her and hugged her tightly from behind and started kissing her neck.   
"Bleh! Mum! Dad! Public display!" he groaned. "I'm dying!" he said, bringing his hands up to his neck and making strangling noises. He lay on the grass rolling around coughing. Lucretia and William both laughed at their son's display on the grass. "Oh you will change your mind soon enough..." Lucretia said with a grin. Thomas sat up. "Wanna bet?" he said poking out his tongue. He lay back on the grass and looked at the sky. The sun had completely set now and the stars were out. Lucretia and William looked up. They saw the planet Venus and smiled.

"Theres the first planet we saw together at Hogwarts, remember Lucretia?" William said, putting his hands around her waist and holding her close. "Yes I remember. We met in Astronomy." She said staring at the stars.   
Thomas snorted at the two talking and saw a really odd star. It was way to bright. It also seemed to be abnormally close. Then it started moving, as if it was spelling something out. He watched it carefully and started reading it out.   
"V...o...l...d...e...Umm.."

Lucretia and William listened to him and then looked at each other. "Put him in the house now..." William said letting go of Lucretia, with a stern look on his face. Lucretia nodded and ran over to Thomas. "Come now Thomas. Quickly..." she said picking him up by the shoulders. "But the star! It's writing!" he said, desperately wanting to know what it was spelling. "M...and look there's an O!" Lucretia tugged him and he ran behind his mother.   
"Mum! Your painting!" he said, tugging away from her. His hand slipped out of hers and he sprinted towards the painting and his father. "Thomas!" she screamed. "Get back here! Your father will get it!" she yelled chasing after him. Thomas suddenly stopped when he saw his father drop to his knees. He was holding his left arm and groaning.   
"Dad!" he yelled running up to him. Suddenly everything went dead quiet and cold. Thomas could see his own breath. He could hear himself breathing deeply, the groaning of his father and the footsteps of his mother behind him. A whooshing sound was heard above them and Thomas looked up. Dementors. Everywhere.

"Thomas!" Lucretia cried out again. "Run to me now!" she said, her breath showing in the cold air. Thomas was petrified. He didn't know what to do; his dad was about to be taken by dementors, for no reason.   
He looked at his father. He looked pathetic, kneeling on the ground, being surrounded by Dementors. Lucretia came up behind Thomas and grabbed his arm, dragging him back to the house.   
Lucretia opened the kitchen door and pulled Thomas in. after pulling him in she locked it. "Chrysler!" she called. Chrysler ran into the kitchen, as fast as her little elf legs could take her. "I saw mistress. Shall I take him to his room?" she suggested. Lucretia closed the curtains and looked back at them, her eyes full of tears.   
"Yes, yes Chrysler." She said getting closer to Thomas. She hugged him tightly. "Thomas...I will see you tomorrow morning. Your father and I have matters to deal with. Don't worry, we'll be okay..."   
Tears were going down her face, making her mascara run. Thomas had a blank expression on his face and stared at the ground. Chrysler took his hands and led him to the stairs.   
"Come on Tom..." she said, trying to calm him down. She took him upstairs and to his bedroom. His stomach growled loudly. "Chrysler heard that..." she said with a small smile. "Here, you go into your room and Chrysler will fix you up a good meal." She said opening the door.

Thomas walked into his room and over to the window, peering out the closed curtains. There was his father. A dozen Dementors were around him in a semi-circle and one man was standing in front of him, wand pointing at his chest. Thomas slowed his breathing right down so he could hear them talking.   
"Malfoy, you have seemed to fail me again at getting the stone." He hissed. Thomas squinted at the man. His head was awkward. The back of his head moved when he spoke. He felt really confused.   
"Now because you failed. I can make a little white lie and say you murdered the boy's parents eleven years ago!" he yelled. "Killed whose parents..." Thomas whispered. The man turned suddenly at Thomas's window. "Malfoy, it seems your son want's to listen to this conversation too, lets see how pathetic you really are!" he laughed. "Crutio..." he spoke. As the spells words were spoken, William was on the ground, yelling, begging for mercy. The man with two faces started to laugh louder. Thomas cringed at the laughter and closed the curtain. He walked to the corner of his room and sat down, his back to the door. He blocked his ears and closed his eyes, rocking back and forth, trying to block out the sound. It didn't work. He opened his eyes again and stared at the wall, listening to his father's cries and the man's laughter.

"I can't stand it..." he whispered. He stood up slowly and walked over to the window, opening it.   
"You leave him alone! You! ... you mudblood!" he yelled. The man stopped laughing and called the spell off. The words seemed to have penetrated him deeper than Thomas intended. "Get him..." he pointed to the Dementors. "Thomas! No!" his father yelled. "Shut the window! Now!" As those words uttered out of his father's mouth Thomas slammed the window shut, locking the top of it. His breathing had become uneven and scared.   
"Hah! You won't defy me again if I kill you!" the man yelled. Thomas stared out the window and the man raised his wand.   
"Avada Kedavara!"   
A jet of green light emitted out of the wand and hit William, square in the chest. He seemed to gasp as if the air was sucked out of him. He then lay on the ground, a crumpled heap. He didn't move. The man gave one last laugh and disappeared with a crack. The Dementors faded into the shadows and his mother's scream was heard from the kitchen. It all happened at once.   
The door from the kitchen burst open and Lucretia sprinted into the darkness, her wand alight. She crouched beside her dead husband. "William! William! Wake up! Oh please for Merlin's sake! Wake up!" she cried, shaking his violently. Thomas looked down at them. His father lying motionless in his mother's arms, cold bloodedly murdered by a man with two faces. Cold bloodedly murdered in front of his eyes. He felt numb. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't cry, he couldn't speak, and he couldn't even breathe properly. He didn't feel a smidgen of emotion. Just nothing.


	2. The Sea Funeral

The Sea Funeral

Thomas woke up suddenly the next morning, drenched in a cold sweat. His forehead was hot and his hair was clinging to his face.

'I know...it was just a dream...' he said, reassuring himself. He stared at the window, wondering if it really was true. Standing up slowly and unwillingly he walked over to the window with his hands out, to reach out to the curtains. His hands slowly pulled the curtain back and reveled the sheet-covered body of his father. Thomas cringed and shut the curtains tightly, closing his eyes. 'Well...I guess it wasn't a dream.' He thought sighing mentally. He stared at the floor. It seemed all his energy had disappeared in that moment. He just wanted to lie on the floor and never get up. A knock broke his concentration and the handle turned. It was his mother. She didn't seem herself either. Lucretia stood in the doorframe, extremely pale, still wearing the same dress, covered in his father's blood. 

"Thomas..." she cried out, running up to him and sweeping him up into her arms, hugging him tightly. Her bawling was muffled in Thomas' shoulder as they were hugging each other in the middle of the room. He still stared at the floor and slowly put his arms around his mother. He was clearly traumatized.

After a few moments of silence together, Thomas and Lucretia pulled away from each other. "Thomas... we're going to have a sea fairing funeral." She whispered, as she wiped her eyes. Her face was quite red. Thomas just simply nodded. Lucretia looked at him and smiled. "We will just have to go to Diagon Alley another day Hunny." She said brushing some hair out of Thomas' eyes. He put a hand on her hand to let her know that he would be okay. Tears welled up in Lucretia's eyes and she could feel herself crying again. "Oh Thomas, I...I'm so sorry... I don't mean to be like this, I can't help It." She whispered.

"Don't worry, we won't be doing much, all we have to do is dress up real nice like. Okay, do you think you can do that?" she asked Thomas standing up. Thomas gave a small nod. "Lets see what we have in the closet." Lucretia said, flinging the doors open. She flicked her silver hair over her shoulder and began looking through his clothes. The only sound in the room was clothes hangers screeching along the metal bar in the wardrobe. "Hmm what about this?" she said, holding up a sailor suit, with a grin. Thomas raised an eyebrow. She laughed. "I was kidding!" she said putting it back. Thomas was relieved she was finding some humor in the day. The dead silence came back into the room as she was looking for the perfect outfit.

"Ah! Here we are!" she said pulling out a black suit and robes that were hanging on top of them. "You'd look great in this." She said laying it on his bed. "Now you have to help me find a dress." She said taking his hand into hers and bringing him into the bedroom. She flung the doors open of her wardrobe and sat on the bed. "Alright, choose one for me." She said with a smile.

Thomas walked up to the closet and had a look. There were so many dresses he could hardly move the hangers into place and the same dress came flinging back into his face. There were so many colours. Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, Pink, Blue, White, Black... It was so hard to choose. He looked at his mother and back at the dresses. He took down the sapphire one. It had fine sapphire silk underneath black netting. He pulled out some black high heels to match. He put them on the bed and smiled at his mum.

"Brilliant." She praised. "Right, I shall put these on and leave you to get dressed." She said, standing. Thomas walked out of the room without a sound. He still hadn't spoken since the night before and he wasn't about to start now. Walking back into his room he saw Chrysler sitting on the bed, nervously holding a letter. Thomas sat next to her and looked at it.

"Chrysler knows you do not wish to speak today Master Thomas, but she thought that you should read the letter you got from Hogwarts." She said handing it over. Thomas gently took it off her and looked it over. It was a yellow parchment and his name and address was written in emerald green ink.

Thomas Malfoy

Mansion by the sea

24 Ashram Road

Wiltfershire

Thomas was impressed at the detail put into the letter. He put his thumb under the seal and broke it. Chrysler smiled eagerly at him. He pulled the letter out and read it.

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry 

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock.

Suprememe mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Malfoy

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary book and equipment. Term one begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonnagall

Deputy Headmistress.

He put the letter on his lap and pulled out another letter with the books and equipment on it. It read:

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry 

_Uniform;_

_First year students will require;_

_Three sets of plain work robes. (Black)_

_One plain pointed hat (Black) for day wear._

_One pair of protective gloves. (Dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak. (Black, Silver Fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags. _

_Set Books;_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following;_

_The Standard Book Of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawle_

_A History Of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Woffling_

_A beginner's guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One thousand magical herbs and fungi by Phyllia Spore_

_Magical drafts and potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic beasts and where to find them by Newt Salamander_

_Dark Forces; A guide to self-protection by Quentin Trimble_

_Other Equipment;_

_1 Wand_

_1 Cauldron (Pewter, Size 2)_

_1 Set glass or crystal phials_

_1 Telescope_

_1 Set of Brass Scales_

_Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad. Parents are reminded that first years are not allowed their own broomsticks._

Thomas looked at Chrysler. She jumped off the bed. "You should get dressed. We have a lot to get through today." She said walking through the door. Thomas pulled off his pajamas and yawned. He hadn't been this tired in years. He lazily pulled his trousers on and done them up. He then heard a noise out the window, like galloping. He raised an eyebrow and headed to the window ever cautiously. He gasped internally as he saw a horse like creature, but the thing was, it looked like a zombie, with wings. He tilted his head to the side and rubbed his eyes just to make sure. He opened them again and still saw it.

'_Yep. I'm going crazy...' _he thought. He watched as it galloped off. Shrugging it off as some hallucination, because he was so tired, he continued getting dressed.

His mother and fathers friends surrounded Thomas, sitting in black, silk covered chairs. Thomas looked around impatiently. They were all wearing black; it was depressing. Most women wore a veil to conceal their faces. He heard a couple behind him talking.

"I can't believe he's really gone..."

"I heard Voldemort done it."

"Yes, and not even felt a bit of sympathy for Lucretia and Thomas."

"Indeed..."

Thomas tried to pay attention to the man at the front, but couldn't. He looked at his mother. She looked elegant and was silent too. Her hands were tightening around a small handkerchief in her hand. Thomas could hear her breathing; it was terribly uneven. He then heard the rustle of robes and people standing up. He stood with them. William's closest friends walked up to the front and lifted the casket. They walked slowly down the middle of the isle. As they walked past Thomas and Lucretia, she took his hand and they followed then down the pathway to the beach. They stood hand in hand, in the breeze, watching the men put the casket onto a small raft, filled with flowers and dry grass. They pushed the raft out onto small waves and all took their wands out.

"Incendio." They all said synchronized. They grass caught fire and started to burn well. The raft went out further and further from shore. Thomas watched silently. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears when he realized he didn't even get to say goodbye.

He let go of his mother's hand and began to sprint towards the water. Lucretia screamed. The people on the cliff who were watching were surprised. Women gasped and a few men ran down the path to chase Thomas. Thomas on the other hand was in waist deep water, determined to reach the raft before it sank. Pieces of burnt wood, and still burning wood, floated past him as he began to swim. The splashes and yelling of the men behind him got louder, so he swam faster. The water was extremely deep by now and Thomas was exhausted. He felt himself swimming nowhere. The raft finally burnt through and the casket broke off, slowly sinking into the dark abyss.

Thomas choked on some seawater and then felt some arms lifting him. "Come on boy. You'll be right... you'll be right..." the man cooed. As Thomas was being pulled to shore, he felt that he wouldn't be right. He had failed his father by not swimming out to him. He had failed himself for not saying goodbye. He had failed and also realized, he was the one who killed his own father.


	3. Diagon Alley

**Diagon Alley; The Alley of Beginnings.**

A week after the funeral Thomas was still a mute. He did find ways to speak to his mother though – through quill and parchment. They were both eating breakfast together in the dining room.

"Thomas, I've decided it's about time we took a visit to Diagon Alley." Lucretia announced, sipping her tea afterwards. Thomas looked up from just putting a forkful of bacon and eggs in his mouth and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes Thomas, I am sure." She said with a smile. Thomas shrugged and finished off his bacon and eggs, double time. Lucretia giggled. It had been quite some time since she giggled like that. "Thomas, do try _not_ to wolf it down." She said concealing her mouth from the laughter. "Anyway, you go put on your robe, we will be going soon." Thomas nodded and moved away from the table, walking upstairs to his room. He opened his wardrobe and took out his robe, pants, and black T-shirt. He then heard galloping again. Looking out the window he saw the same horse. He couldn't figure it out. Was it a sign? An Omen? He didn't know. He watched it disappear again and carried on getting dressed.

"Right, I decided we should travel there by floo powder." She began. She was wearing her green robes and a green dress. "But you see, I remembered you were a mute…so we're going the long way. To London and through the Leaky Cauldron."

Thomas nodded and followed her to the front door. He walked beside his mother as they exited the castle walls and into the city. Children stared at him. He didn't like being stared at. One snared and a few laughed.

"Halloween isn't for four months you retard!" Thomas raised an eyebrow and continued walking.

"Muggles… disgusting bunch." Lucretia drawled. _'Tell me about it…'_ Thomas thought to himself. They walked into the subway and paid for the tickets to the train. "It seems I have run out of muggle money." Lucretia said leading Thomas to the train and finding a seat. "Looks like I have to get some more."

Thomas sat beside her, looking at the muggles across from them. The old lady smiled at him, Thomas merely blank back. "You know lad, it is polite to smiled back." She said. Lucretia raised an eyebrow. "Yes well, he would, if he weren't traumatized over his father's death." She said impolitely.

The old lady leant forward. "Oh dear! Whatever happened?" she asked.

"We like to keep it between us, Thank you." Lucretia replied.

"Ten minutes until we reach Mid London." The intercom called.

"Oh dear, I am really sorry for whatever happened." She said sympathetically. "At least you're not stuck with a Giant man, like the boy down there." He said pointing down at the seats. About eight seats down, a giant man was sitting beside a small boy, complaining loudly about how the seats were too small. Thomas and Lucretia leant forward and looked at them. The man's beard looked like a fuzzy forest on his face. The small boy had glasses and messy hair and looked terribly underweight. Thomas looked back at the old lady.

"Odd couple aren't they?" she said.

"Indeed." Lucretia replied. "Well this is our stop." She stood up and headed for the door, Thomas followed, still staring at the huge man. They got out of the train and watched as it moved away. Lucretia guided Thomas up the stairs. It seemed like she had done this a lot, gone to Diagon Alley and all. Soon enough they were back in the city, Passing muggle after muggle, getting stares and commented at. "Okay, we go down this street and we're just about there." Lucretia announced. More muggles walked past and looked at them. This time Thomas heard them say something about vampires and children of the corn. Thomas thought muggles were entertaining, but still, he didn't know what children of the corn were. A muggle myth? Possibly.

"Here we are!" Lucretia exclaimed. She pinted to a rather dirty and run down shop. Thomas looked at it. "It's like that so Muggles can't see it…" she said. "Look…" she said stepping back. Some muggles walked past them, making no sound. They didn't even look at the pub, nor even think it was there.

'_Muggles.. so stupid, can't even see magic even if it slapped them in the face.'_ Thomas thought, "Come Love, its much better inside." She said opening the door and stepping in. Thomas followed, shutting the door behind him. He looked around the place. It was dark, dank and humid. _'Sure, its so much better than the outside…' _he though sarcastically. Men and women were smoking and drinking. He could feel himself gagging on the air. Lucretia took his hand and led him out into a small courtyard. Relieved but rather confused, he still wondered what was going to happen next. A Hippogriff was going to fly down, pick them up and drop them into this Alley? His mother was going to teach him how to apperate?

Instead she took out her wand and tapped her wand to a brick three times. They watched as the bricks moved and formed an archway. _'Not…really what I was expecting.'_ He thought. "Well! Here we are!" Lucretia announced excitedly. "Diagon Alley!"

He looked around at all the wizards and witches, running around in a hurry to get their shopping done. He heard owls hooting in a shop in front of him. "That's called Eeylops Owl Emporium." Lucretia told him. "We will get one later, so I can send you letters while you're at school." Thomas couldn't get over how many people were there. They looked like ants, trying desperately to find food and things to take back to the nest. They stopped outside Madame Malkin's Robes.

"You go in there and get your robes sorted out. I will go get your books and meet you back here." She said, then walking off towards Flourish and Blotts. Thomas was about to walk in when a shadow cast over him. The huge man was back. _'Good grief!'_ he thought looking at him. _'He's even bigger, close up.'_ The door opened and the boy stepped out, the same one that he had seen earlier. He stared at Thomas, so Thomas stared back.

"How did you get out here so flippin' fast?" he asked. Thomas merely raised an eyebrow having no idea what this boy was going on about. The giant looked at the boy. "What are yeh talkin' 'bout Harry…" he said in a loud voice.

"T-This boy! He was _just_ in there! Being fitted in his robes and talking about Hogwarts to Me." He said pointing.

"Harry, this boy hasn't even been in there. I just saw him talkin' to his mother." He said to Harry. Thomas nodded and was glad the man was covering his arse. "Oh stop kidding Hagrid, he _was_ in there. He's a snotty little rich kid, and he was talking about brooms and Quidditch."

"Thomas!" Lucretia said running up to him. "Are you okay? You havn't even been in yet?" she asked. She looked up at Hagrid. "Oh, it's you. From the train." Hagrid gave a shrug. "Prob'ly.. Harry come on, we'd better get goin'."

Harry glared at Thomas and walked off, not taking his eyes off him, until he was out of view. "What was _that_ about?" Lucretia asked, opening the door to the shop. _'That must have been the strangest reaction from anyone I've ever had…'_ Thomas thought walking in after his mother. "I got all the books you needed. I was surprised there wasn't a line." Lucretia said examining some of the materials and robes in the store. Madame Malkin smiled at Thomas.

"Hogwarts too I suspect?" she said. "We've had a lot today. As a matter of fact, we have a boy getting fitted right now, looks _exactly_ like you."

"Really…" Lucretia replied, tilting her head towards the back room. "Oh look Thomas. It's Draco." She said walking to the back room with him. Draco grinned at them both. "Hullo you two. Long time no see." He said to them. Thomas walked over to the stool beside Draco, getting up onto it. "Oh Draco, Thomas hasn't spoken since his father died. So he will be silent." Lucretia told him, finding a seat on the opposite side of the room. Draco looked at Thomas. "He's…gone?" he said, his face paling a bit. Thomas nodded. "I'm sorry." Draco said sympathetically, looking at his feet. Thomas then got a robe tugged over his head and the assistant began pinning it into place.

"I can't believe we're going to the same school Thomas. It's going to be fun…Oh that reminds me. Aunty Lucretia, my mother would like to meet up with you sometime for a chat. She told me to tell you if you were down here getting equipment and things for school." Draco said jumping off the stool. "Did you see that huge man before?" he asked. Thomas gave a nod. "Anyway, I should get going. See you at school Thomas." He said walking out of the back room.

Thomas looked at Lucretia. She grinned. "He hasn't changed a bit."

Thomas and Lucretia walked down the alley with bags in their hands, full of school supplies. "Now all we have to do is get your wand now." Lucretia told him. They walked up to Olivander's and she opened the door. Following her inside, like he had been following her all day, Thomas looked around the shop. The walls were full of boxes upon boxes, stacked to the ceiling. He couldn't help but stare at them all. Surely _every_ box in there didn't have a wand in it. There looked like millions.

"Mister Olivander?" Lucretia called. A creepy looking man came out from the back. "Hello there my dear." He said in a soft voice. He looked over at Thomas who was prodding at a box in the middle of the stack. "M-Mr Malfoy! I advise you to contain your curiosity and leave those boxes alone!" he said rushing over to stop them from toppling into a huge mass on the floor.

Thomas shrugged and walked up to the front desk, placing his hands on it, peering over. Olivander pulled a box out from one of the many shelves and gave it to Thomas to hold. It was a bright yellow. Thomas shook it a little resulting in one of the windows smashing. "And I just got that replaced yesterday…" Olivander groaned, snatching it back off him. Thomas looked at Lucretia, as Olivander disappeared into the back again. Shrugging a bit he looked back to find Olivander standing there. Opening the box he pulled out an emerald coloured wand. "Ebony and unicorn hair, 10 inches, try this one."

Thomas took the wand out of the box and it felt surprisingly warm. "Give it a wave boy." He said getting impatient. Thomas waved the wand and black sparks rained onto the floor. Olivander's eyes widened. "Never seen black sparks since the old days…" he whispered. "Anyway! Give me that, and Ill just…"

He took the wand off Thomas and quickly put it into the box. "Seven Galleons." He told Lucretia. Giving him the money, Lucretia raised an eyebrow at Olivander's expression. As soon as he put the money into the till he hurried off to the back room once again.

As they walked out of the shop, the sun had begun to sink in the sky. A warm orange colour enveloped the alley, as the shops began to close. The light shone off the windows, stores, signs, cages and cauldrons.

"Well… we should get going. I expect Chrysler is waiting for us to come home." Lucretia said leading them back up towards the entrance. They were about to exit when Thomas heard a scream. Everyone in the alley stopped walking, looking around for where it came from. Thomas took a few steps back, listening hard for the muffled sounds coming from someone. He then saw a school bag get thrown out of Knockturn Alley.

'_Bloody hell… why do I always have to rescue things?'_ Thomas thought to himself as he dropped his bags to the ground and grabbing the box with his wand out of one of them. He ran to Knockturn Alley, pulling his wand out of the box and dropping the box on the ground. He slid to a stop just outside of it. There she was. The girl that was in trouble. She looked at Thomas, her eyes widened, waving franticly. "Help me!" she squealed. The raggedy man looked at Thomas and laughed. "Oooh, what are _you_ going to do? Bite me? Vampire boy." He laughed. He was paying out Thomas' skin tone. It was Vampiric really. He done the only thing he could do. He held up his wand. The man raised an eyebrow. "Oooh, so you're going to do a hex on me eh?" he snared. Thomas smirked and opened his mouth. "Crutio…" he muttered. The man let go of the girl and she scrambled away into the corner, watching. The man was yelling and tucked into a ball in the Alley. Lucretia ran into the Alley, expecting Thomas to be the one yelling.

"Ahh! Stop it! Uncle! Uncle!" he yelled. Thomas was deaf to his pleads. He glared and walked closer to him, making the spell more powerful, sending the man into a wriggling mass of pain. "Thomas!" Lucretia shrieked. "Stop the curse now! Anymore and he will surely die!" she said walking up to her son. Thomas stopped glaring and dropped the wand to his side. The man stopped moving. The girl looked at Thomas. He gave his wand to Lucretia and walked over to the girl. He squatted beside her, looking into her dark eyes with his pale ones.

"T-Thank you… I think." She whispered. Thomas helped her up He was shaking as much as she was. She then gave him a small smile, which made him smile back. She walked over to her bag, picking it up and flicking her light brown hair over her shoulder. She walked away… With Thomas' eyes following her, never leaving until she was out of view.


	4. The Platform

The Platform

The falling of his father.

The screaming of his mother.

The blame, he thought, was completely his.

The man laughing.

The Dementors.

Why were there Dementors?

Thomas tossed and turned in his sleep, reenacting the night his father was murdered, in his sleep.

"Thomas…Thomas…" a small voice called. Thomas stopped tossing and slowly opened his eyes. Chrysler was standing there, her eyes wide with fear. "Master Thomas…" she whispered. Thomas sat up, rubbing his eyes. The past few months were full of these dreams. Chrysler put a hand to his forehead. "Warm…" she said Thomas gently pushed her hand away. His top was clinging to his chest, and his face was flushed. He got out of bed and looked at her.

"You're going to the platform today." She told him. Thomas took off his top, revealing cuts on his upper arms. Chrysler stared at them. "Master Thomas?" she said in a worried tone. Thomas pulled on a white shirt. He looked back at her. "I wont tell…" she said stepping out of the room. Thomas nodded.

'_School…'_ he thought, pulling on a pair of faded jeans. Yawning he opened the door, stepping out. His mother was in the lounge, staring at the massive green trunk in the middle of the room. Thomas leant against the doorframe. She turned her head and looked at him, smiling.

"My little boy is finally going to Hogwarts." She said. "I can't believe it's finally happening." Thomas smiled and walking into the room. She began to sob. "Oh I _swore_ I wouldn't cry!" she said. "I wanted for you to see me the last time not crying. But don't worry, when you come back for the Christmas holidays you can bring s few of your friends with you, as long as it's okay with their parents."

Thomas grinned. Friends. He wondered if he could achieve that. "Right!" she said moving his trunk beside him. "You should get going. Don't want to be late. The train leaves at exactly Eleven O'clock. Oh and here."

She passed him the ticket. Taking the ticket he put it into his pocket. He tugged at his trunk and made his way out of the lounge. "Goodbye Darling, I will see you at Christmas!" she sobbed. Thomas smiled and waved goodbye, tugging his trunk to the front door.

After finally getting to King's cross-station, Thomas wondered where the hell Platform Nine and three quarters actually was. He pushed his trolley towards platform Nine and Ten and waited there, to see if anyone else knew where it was. He had an urge to ask a muggle but when a small boy walked past him and began to laugh, that idea was completely out of the question. A family of girls walked towards him. The girl he rescued among them. He blushed faintly as they came closer. Grabbing his trolley's handle bar, he wheeled it beside the barrier, where he couldn't be seen. One of the older girls had seen him anyway and looked at the rest.

"I do believe this one doesn't know how to use the barrier…" she told the rest. She walked up to Thomas and put her hands on her hips, grinning. "Well… Hello there. Going to Hogwarts I expect?" she asked. Thomas nodded.

"I see… First year?"

He nodded again.

"Ness is a firsty too! Aren't you Nessie?"

The girl called Ness was in the middle of being hugged by her parents. Thomas looked at her and she looked back, a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh! Wait a minute." The Older girl said. "You must be that _boy_ Nessa was talking about. The one that rescued her in Diagon Alley…Thomas right?" she said. "All the features are there. Silky blonde hair, pretty tall, looking heroic, Man of Nessa's dreams." She added. "If I'm not mistaken, you _are_ the boy Nessa has been speaking about non stop."

Thomas looked back at Nessa. She was making her way over.

"Nessie! It's that Thomas boy, you know the one you _really_ like?" she told her. Thomas stepped out from where he was and smiled at Nessa. She blushed but smiled back. "Umm, Hullo…" she said looking down at her shoes. Thomas felt a grin come onto his face. "You do know my face is up here Ness Love…" he told her.

'_I just spoke! I don't believe it! …I said Love… that can't be right…'_ he thought.

Nessa looked at her sister. "Umm, Mere, you can go now." She told her. Mere grinned. "Alright, I'll see you at Hogwarts Nessa. Have fun with your _boyfriend_" she told her before going through the barrier.

"Ah, so that's how you get in." Thomas said.

"Yeah. So it's your first year too?" Nessa asked.

"Yeah, I was so excited this morning, but my Mother made a huge deal about it and cried before I left." He said grabbing the handle bar of his trolley. "Oh? What about your dad? Did he drop you off?" Nessa asked. Thomas looked at her. "No… He couldn't." he told her truthfully. "Oh…Okay." she said taking her trolley too.

"Right, we should get going, the train leaves in ten minutes." He told her. They took a few steps back and both ran through the barrier. They emerged on the other side. A scarlet train was waiting in the station. Heaps of witches, wizards and students were waiting to get aboard.

"Flippin' Heck.." Thomas said aloud.

"I agree…" said Nessa.

"Thomas looked at Nessa. "This is what I thought it would look like. Talk about a premonition."

They both moved their trolleys down the platform, looking in the windows for a cabin that hadn't been taken yet. Thomas pulled up his trunk off the trolley, up the steps. "Need some help?" Nessa asked, grabbing the bottom of the trunk and pushing it upwards.

"Thanks." He said heaving it up. He helped with her trunk too and put his hand out for her to take. She took it graciously and he pulled her up – A little to fast. She bumped into him. He looked down at her, feeling a knot in his stomach grow. She looked up at him and automatically moved some strands of his hair out of his eyes, like she'd been doing it for years. The both smiled at each other and bent down to drag their trunks to the empty cabin.

"Here's the one we saw Thom." Nessa said, dropping her trunk on the floor and sliding the door open. "Amazing. This cabin is huge! You could possibly fit ten people in!" she said dragging her trunk in. Thomas followed. Nessa was right. There were two long benches one either side, covered in dark, blood red leather. A huge window was set, right in the middle, the scenery around them all in one place. Nessa pushed her trunk up into the carrying compartment above their seats, on the right, as did Thomas, on the left. The both sat down, opposite each other. The train began to move.

"So Thom, if you don't mind being called that."

"By all means, go ahead."

"Where do you live?" she asked.

"Wiltfershire." He told her

"Oh really?"

"MmmHmm. In a Castle."

"A Castle! I'm jealous Thom!" she teased.

"Maybe you could come see it sometime."

"Yeah? Really?"

"Yeah, you doing anything at Christmas?"

"I'm jus—" she stopped in mid sentence. The door had opened again. Two girls who were laughing and dragged their trunks in. "Finally! A cabin not overrun with dumbasses!" the taller girl exclaimed. "I know! These two look fine!" the shorter one said with a grin and putting her trunk in the compartment. The taller one gasped as she sat beside Thomas.

"How RUDE are WE?!" she said.

"Where in the hell ARE our manners!" the shorter one said, sitting beside Nessa.

"Let myself, introduce…myself…" The taller one said, putting a hand on her chest. "I am Jhordan Orlin." Jhordan said with a grin.

"And I! Am Serpentine Lavrovite. But you guys can call me Serp." She told them with a smirk.

"I say, what is your name?" Jhordan asked Thomas.

"Uh… Thomas Malfoy." He said. They both gasped.

"I should have known!" Serp said.

"Indeed." Jhordan agreed.

"This other chap is in another cabin, not too far from here, said he was a Malfoy too… Are you brothers by chance?" Serp asked.

Thomas shook his head. "Cousins…" he told them.

"Awww! How adorable! Cousins that look like brothers going to school together!" she chimed.

"Well, we better go talk to him now. So LOVELY to meet you both." Jhordan said, standing up and dragging Serp out the door. "Later El Taters!" she said running down the corridor. Thomas and Nessa looked at each other.

"Later El Tater?" Nessa asked.

"Sommat about potatoes I suppose…" Thomas said, a smirk creeping onto his face. They both started laughing. Thomas listened to her laughter. It made his stomach tingle. He then stopped laughing. His parents were right.

'_Dammit! Why are they always right?!'_ he thought to himself.

"You okay?" Nessa asked, as she noticed he had stopped laughing. Thomas nodded. "I'm fine." He replied. Nessa leant forward and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Your hair is always in your eyes… Doesn't it get annoying?" she asked. "Sometimes." He said. "Yeah well, every time we meet, I feel, I will have to groom you." She said with a smile. Without thinking, Thomas shifted seats and sat beside her, to get a better look out the window. "Well, we're going to have to meet up a lot." He whispered. "You aren't really Slytherin material." Nessa looked at him. "Slytherin? Why would you even think of going in there?" she asked. "It's a known fact, all Malfoys go into Slytherin, without a doubt."

"But, you seem so unlike a Slytherin." She said.

"Yes well, I'm going to change. For the worst, I feel."

"Fine, you can say that, but I am still going to be friends with you. Even if you are a Slytherin and I'm in a totally different house." She told him. Thomas smiled and she slipped her hand into his. Thomas could feel his face getting hot.

Dead silence is the only two words that could describe the noise on the train ride. The clicking of the train tracks, and Nessa's steady breathing were the only things heard. She had fallen asleep on his chest after a whole day of talking to him. He found out all about her family and how one of her sisters had gone missing one night and her parents thought she was lying, saying she went mad. Thomas reassured her she wasn't mad. He shared things about himself too. How his dad was a Death Eater, how his mother was a Veela.

"So that makes you Half Veela?" she had asked.

He told her about Draco and how they got in trouble one time for grabbing gnomes, lighting them on fire and tossing them into the neighbor's garden, setting it on fire. He felt Nessa shiver a little as she slept. She he put an arm around her, to keep her warm. A knock on the door made him jump a little. The door slid open and Draco stepped in. He smirked and seeing Nessa, raised an eyebrow. He shut the door and sat opposite them.

"Hello, Whose this?" he asked.

"Her name is Nessa." Thomas replied.

"Oh… Hey, you can talk now."

"Sure can, haven't been able to stop all afternoon." Thomas said with a smile.

"Sorry we didn't come to the funeral. My father wasn't up for it. My mother really wanted to come but he made sure she didn't leave."

"It's okay, it didn't go so well anyway." He said.

"Oh?"

"I kind of… messed it up."

"I see…" Draco replied, looking at Nessa. "She's pretty." He said.

"Yeah she is. That's why I feel she's not Slytherin material. She's more Gryffindor." Thomas said. Draco laughed lightly. "You wouldn't be friends with a Gryffindor now, would you?"

"It depends if she's actually put in there Draco."

"It's pretty likely."

"Yeah well, just so she isn't hassled, I hope she's put in Hufflepuff." Thomas said, looking down at her.

"Hufflepuff are lucky, they don't get hassled at all."

Nessa was listening, careful not to open her eyes.

"I'd still be a friend with her either way."

Nessa then snuggled closer and put her arms around Thomas' waist. Thomas looked at Draco, eyes widened. Draco grinned.

"Thomas has a girlfriend…" he whispered to him, in a tune.

"Yeah… she's a girl, and my friend." Thomas comebacked.

"Put them together… Girlfriend." He stated. "Anyway, I'm off, you two should get changed, we'll be there soon." Draco advised, opening the compartment door. He looked back at Thomas.

"Girlfriennnnnnnnnnd…." He said before he stepped out.

Thomas sighed and leant back on the bench, resting the back of his head on it and closing his eyes. He listened to the sounds of the wheels on the tracks and Nessa's steady breathing. Having Nessa so close to him felt nice. Opening his eyes he shifted his hand and gently twisted her hair around his index finger, playing with it. He looked out the window at the darkened sky, blotted with tiny stars. Maybe Draco was right. Maybe one day Nessa would be his girlfriend. He smirked a little at the thought and continued to look out the window.

"What are you thinking about Thomas?" Nessa whispered. Thomas looked down at her. "Sleeping beauty woke up eh?" he said with a smile and letting go of her hair. "I wasn't thinking about anything…" he lied. Nessa pulled her arms out from around him and sat up, stretching. "We should probably get changed." Thomas said, yawning and stretching himself. He stood up and reached for his trunk, pulling it down and resting it on the ground. He opened it and pulled out his new robes. He looked over at Nessa. She seemed oddly quiet.

"Aiight… what's wrong Love?" Thomas said, unloading the rest of his uniform and hauling his trunk back up.

"I uh… it's nothing. Nothing at all." She lied. She was in fact thinking of what Thomas had discussed with Draco beforehand.

"Aiight then. If it's about you getting changed I can step out if you'd like." Thomas insisted. Nessa nodded a bit and reached up for her trunk. "Let me help you with that…" Thomas said reaching up towards the trunk. He helped her pull it down and smiled. "I'll be back soon…" he said sliding the door open and stepping out. He shut the door behind him.

"Malfoy…" a female voice drawled. Thomas looked down the corridor. A girl with dark hair was walking towards him. Her face was rather ugly. "What do you think you're doing Draco, you are supposed to be sitting in out compartment." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Draco." Thomas said raising an eyebrow.

"Don't lie to me Draco Malfoy!" she said grabbing Thomas' arm.

"Hey! Get off!" Thomas said pulling back and getting out of her grip. "I said I am not Draco!" he told her again. The girl laughed. "Did you bump your head or something Draco? Because you are not good at lying to me."

"Damn it! I said – Look, My name is Thomas Malfoy… I'm a relative of his." He explained. The girl raised an eyebrow. "Draco, you are scaring me. What the hell are you talking about?" she said, getting closer to him. Thomas stepped back, pinned against the wall.

"I said I'm not Draco – Ness? Are you done in there?" he asked.

"Not quite!" she called.

"Ness? Who is that…Draco don't tell me you are with another girl!?" she screamed.

"I-I … Who are you?!" he asked.

"This is horrible! You don't even remember your girlfriend!" she said, eyes brimming with tears.

"Girlfriend? Obviously Draco's Girlfriend can't tell the difference between him and his cousin…" he drawled.

"Stop saying that!" she yelled.

By now some heads were sticking out of compartment doors and looking down the corridor. Thomas looked up and down the corridor.

"Look girl. Go and find Draco, he's probably hassling someone." Thomas said, edging towards the door. "Ness Love, I'm coming in." he said not taking his eyes off the girl.

"Get back here!" she demanded. Thomas quickly jumped into the compartment and locked the door behind him. The girl walked up to the door and began banging on the window. Thomas looked at Nessa.

"I think you should stay in here for your own safety…" Thomas told her. "I'll get changed properly at school." He said looking back out the window. He smirked.

As the train slowed to a stop, Thomas could see the nervousness radiating off Nessa. She was tightening her grip on the hem of her robes – almost able to strangle it if it was alive. He couldn't think much either; he looked as pale as his hair, which was not a really good look.

"Nervous?" she asked him, looking at the floor.

"Mmm, just a tad…" he admitted.

"Yeah, me too." She said back.

The train stopped completely and hissed loudly. Everyone aboard scrambled to the doors in a frenzy like ants to sugar. Thomas held Nessa's hand tightly, hoping not to lose her in the sea of students. One could very easily get lost. As they finally got into a clearing he heard a loud voice shouting out to the first years.

"That'll be us Ness." He said walking up to the huge man with the lantern. "Hey… I saw that chap on the train to London and in Diagon alley." Thomas told Nessa.

"Well, how could you not? He's pretty hard to miss." She said with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Righ'! Follow Me!" he boomed.

"You know Ness…" Thomas began as they started following Hagrid. "If he shouted any louder, I expect the students in the first row would die of inner ear cannel bleeding. Then he'd be in trouble." He whispered. Nessa giggled and slapped his arm playfully. Looking ahead, he saw the boy that he saw in Diagon Alley stop and walk down to them.

"I heard that Malfoy…" he growled. Thomas raised an eyebrow and stopped walking.

"Do you have bionic hearing or something because I swore I whispered that." Thomas said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Two of the boy's friends stepped up behind him. One; a girl with rather messy hair, the other, a boy with bright red hair and a big nose.

"How did you know I was a Malfoy anyway." He drawled. Harry looked at the other two. "You introduced yourself on the train." Said the red haired boy.

"Not very nicely either…" the girl said, frowning slightly and having annoyance in her tone.

"No, I don't recall Thomas introducing himself to you three. He's been with me the whole time." Nessa informed them.

"Thomas?" Harry said a bit surprised.

"There is two Malfoys?" the red haired boy exclaimed, paling a bit.

"Mmm, I guess there is…" Thomas said coolly.

The trio stayed silent and pale.

"What's the matter? Malfoy got your tounge?" Draco said walking up to the group, standing beside Thomas. "Hey Nessa." Draco said with a smirk. "Well, I see you both met the famous Harry Potter eh?" he said looking at the trio. Thomas felt a small tug on his sleeve and Nessa jumped a little at the name.

"Harry Potter…" Thomas said. "I visioned you more… buff, more, powerful. Not weak. Funny isn't it. How one paper-thin boy could defeat Voldemort…" he drawled. Draco looked at Thomas and was surprised that he mentioned the name. All of them stared at him.

"What… did I say something bad?" he asked. The red haired boy seemed to growl and lurched out at Thomas. Harry and the girl held him back.

"Oh cut the hero act Weasley…My cousin, his girlfriend and I have a boat to catch." Draco growled walking past them.

"That was Harry Potter you know. You could have been a little nicer." Nessa whispered as they walked past him. "Sorry, no can do. Us Malfoys and the Potters have been fighting for a while now." Draco replied, following the rest of the first years to the boats.

"Oh I see, and let me guess, you don't want to ruin it all by becoming friends or being nice to Harry?" Nessa said. Thomas gave a small shrug. "Dunno Love, I'd say it's up to him if he wants to be nicer to us." He said regarding to Harry.

Draco, Nessa and Thomas all got into the same boat. Hagrid told the boats to move forwards and they began to move.

"Would you look at that." Draco said pointing at the castle on the cliff. Thomas looked up. "It's just about as big as your house Draco, if not, a bit bigger." Nessa looked up as well, a bit overwhelmed. "It's huge…"

"Yeah, you'd probably get lost in there. God knows how many times I got lost at Draco's house, there are still parts we haven't discovered." Thomas said with a smirk.

"I heard ghosts and stuff are in there." Draco said.

"Oooh… I quiver with fear." Thomas said laughing a little.

As they finally made their way to school all Thomas, Draco and Nessa couldn't stop talking about the year to come. They walked onto shore and up to the castle. Silence enveloped the first years, while nervousness was standing out like a glow in the dark stick.


End file.
